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Signs & Portents
Mongoose Publishing, easily one of the most successful d20 publishers in existence, has taken the plunge into those murkiest of waters -- they are now publishing a gaming rag. Called Signs & Portents (I will refer to it in the review as S&P), the first issue arrived on my doorstep this weekend and it seemed like a good idea to write a quick review of the contents and quality.
Those who play d20 games are surely already familiar with Mongoose's various lines but for those who are not, a quick rundown is in order. Mongoose Publishing is a British publishing company specializing in RPGs. They are probably most noted for their Collector Series (Quintessential Fighter, Quintessential Wizard, Quintessential Elf, etc.), the Slayer's Guides (The Slayer's Guide to Hobgoblins, The Slayer's Guide to Undead, The Slayer's Guide to Rules Lawyers, etc.), Encyclopedia Arcane and Encyclopedia Divine (Demonology, Enchantment, Shamans, etc.), as well as a few other series and miscellaneous rulebooks. They also have four distinct d20 RPGs, including the official Babylon 5 RPG, Judge Dredd, Slaine, and Armageddon: 2089. Soon they will also be releasing the official Conan RPG and the Lone Wolf RPG, as well. Did I forget to mention *ahem* Macho Women with Guns?
Let me start this review out by clarifying that this is more like a preview. After all, there has only been one issue so far. One should not be surprised to see the format and content morph in the coming months as the publishers get a better feel for the interests of their audience.
The Packaging
The production value of S&P is really very high. It certainly equals the quality of both Dragon and Dungeon. The pages are glossy and full-colored with relatively little advertising (note: I am sure Mongoose is hoping to increase the amount of advertising but I cannot be sure how that might impact content). At 72 pages, it is also center-stapled, making it easier to copy or scan bits you might want to use in your game. The artwork is quite good, as are the Babylon 5 TV series photos, and the layout is excellent. Even the font is easy to read.
For Americans, there are some occasional, distinctly British references in the writing, though nothing that will cause you to misunderstand vital information. Unless understanding the precise use of "tipple" is something vital to you. The first issue is priced at $4.95 and a bargain for any fan of Mongoose's various games and products, especially given the production values. On the official messageboards it has been informally announced that the price is going up to $5.95. At $59.99, the subscription price will seem terribly high to most Americans. To be honest, however, if you play one or more of Mongoose's games and if you use their supplements, you are going to find yourself picking up the odd issue anyway and if you are a collector or compleatist like myself you will want 10-12 out of 12. Why not make sure you get all of them delivered to your door at a discount?
(Regarding the subscription price: both the website and the first issue of S&P list the price as $49.99, but if you order it you will find that a $10 shipping charge is being added. This seems to be a British convention, since in the US subscription prices traditionally include the shipping costs.)
Contents
I cannot help but compare the approach Mongoose has taken with S&P with the approach Games Workshop took with White Dwarf. Before you run screaming away, I know there is a knee-jerk dislike of WD among many RPG fans. As a one-time subscriber to WD, however, I feel it does exactly what it ought to do for the Games Workshop fan. Ergo, fans of Mongoose products are likely to find that S&P does exactly what they want it to, though the nature of RPGs is such that S&P will have more "crunchy bits" than WD normally has. To be more precise, there are three main types of articles: 1) previews of upcoming Mongoose products; 2) articles relating to enhancing the gaming experience for existing Mongoose products; and 3) articles of a slightly more generic RPG nature.
Several articles in the first issue of S&P are devoted to previewing upcoming Mongoose products. Prominent in this issue -- and probably the next given the issue two's cover -- is the recently released Babylon 5 RPG. There is a preview of the Minbari Federation Fact Book which details the Alyt prestige class and some other setting material from that upcoming release. This is the perfect kind of product preview because it actually contains information that players and GMs can use right away. Another good example of this is the preview of the Encyclopedia Arcane volume Tomes and Libraries which discusses the types of material used to make books and the role of libraries in a fantasy setting. I found the article interesting and it stimulated some ideas for my own campaign.
A different approach to previews is visible in the previews of the Conan RPG and Lone Wolf d20. The Conan article is, as the author Ian Sturrock points out, more like a designer's diary than a preview. I am pretty excited about this game, which is due out in early 2004, so I was looking forward to this part of S&P. Sturrock discusses his philosophy behind designing both a magic system and a combat system compatible with the Conan stories. He also discusses the role of "races" in the Hyborian setting, and gives a truncated example of a playable race, which is actually a particular human culture from the setting. Unfortunately, there is a slight glitch in the Conan article, as some text is repeated and the article's end is cut off in mid-sentence. The Lone Wolf d20 preview is a bit crunchier as it details the "d20 Lite" combat rules in development for that game. It comes across as a fast and furious combat system aimed making the rules easier and combats faster. Reading about Lone Wolf d20 combat, I could not help but be reminded of the original D&D Basic combat rules. Finally, there is a short preview of the setting for Macho Women with Guns, which I did not bother to read.
Another type of article are those which provide support to existing Mongoose products. For example, one article provides a prestige class for Judge Dredd d20 and background material for the Undercity in that setting. Another details the members of a mercenary squad and their equipment for the Armageddon: 2089 game. A third boasts new rules for "powered battle armour" in that same game. While I do not play either one of these games, the articles seemed informative and both contained useful "crunchy bits" as well as setting material. The final article is actually a short adventure set in the Babylon 5 universe.
There are also a couple of more generic RPG articles in this issue of S&P. The first is an enlightening piece on using a story engine in place of the more typical linear approach to campaign and adventure design. At first the article may seem a bit abstract and unapproachable. It did to me. By the end, however, I understood how this would make an excellent tool for any GM wanting to avoid railroading his players while still maintaining some semblance of his original plan. Essentially, the article outlines how you can use a systems analysis approach to react to player actions on the fly. This is probably what most GMs do between sessions anyway but using the model would make it easier to adjust your story as you go. I thought the article was superb and it will be a tough act to follow up on. Nonetheless, I hope Mongoose sticks with the idea of giving GMs useful advice and tools. The other generic article I found less exciting, though I very much like the idea behind it. The concept is that in fantasy RPGs some characters specialize as dungeon delvers, so we should expect to find a set of feats, tools, magic items, and spells designed specifically to make dungeon delving easier. I thought dungeon-delving skills would have been more useful than some of the feats (which seemed strained) and the two tools presented (one of which seemed really strained). Still, it is a good, original idea.
In addition to these three types of articles, S&P also contains the obligatory editorials, columns, and a Q&A section (this month focused on the Collector's Series). As a gamer, I like hearing stories about other gamers. Once you have read Ian Barstow's recap of the first two sessions of the Mongoose office Babylon 5 campaign, you will see why. There's also a humor piece about why any good Call of Cthulhu campaign violates the rules of character motivation observed by the author of any good novel.
All rules-related material has been designated open content, for those who worry about OGC issues.
Conclusion
The first issue does come bundled with a free extra, The Slayer's Guide to Minotaurs. This is really just a bennie and most likely no one will buy it exclusively for this. I do not intend to review it here but I did want to say a couple of things about it for those particularly interested. The Slayer's Guide to Minotaurs is structured exactly like all the other Slayer's Guides, except that it is considerably shorter, running only 24 pages. As a result, it seems somewhat abbreviated but conveys most of the usual information. To be honest, a quick perusal suggests two bad things about it: 1) there is very little new or intriguing here, making it something of a workmanlike Slayer's Guide about one of the potentially most intriguing monsters in the D&D Monster Manual; 2) the art seems subpar for the series. Still, this is a quick perusal and therefore neither a review nor an honest critique of this freebie.
The issue does not contain a "Next Month" page, although there are scattered references throughout to future issues. On the main website, however, there is a preview of the articles in issue two. They reveal a similar mix from issue one, with a couple of exceptions. The Slaine RPG was notably missing from issue one and there is an intriguing article on blood magic in Slaine for issue two. It appears every issue will contain a brief adventure (scenario in S&P lingo) though the next issue will have a generic fantasy piece.
Early in S&P there is a submission guidelines page, suggesting that this particular gaming mag will aim to be more than the White Dwarf of RPGing. It also means that those of you who find the first issue's contents too weighted in one direction or another can both hope the focus will change and work to change it.
If you play any of Mongoose's games, you cannot miss with this product. If you play more than one, you really have no excuse not to pick it up.
Substance: 4 (Actually a 4.5 -- No Slaine in issue one! Personal preference of mine, but suffer the consequences, Mongoose.)
Style: 5 (The quality is excellent. I would probably give it a 4.5 because not all the art floats my boat. Even so the art is, in general, quite good, though those of you who are not Babylon 5 fans may find the vidcaps to be a bit jarring in a gaming mag. See cover of issue two, above and to the left, to see what I mean.)
